JP2000065967A - Liquid crystal indication type wrist watch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wrist watch capable of extending the life of battery by giving idea to a turn-on method and reducing the average operation current taking into account the use state of the wrist watch. SOLUTION: A vibration sensor 3, a control means for controlling the indication of electric field control birefringence(ECB) type color LCD 1 and a control microcomputer 2 used also as a timer are provided. In the case, vibration is detected by the vibration sensor 3 here, the control microcomputer 2 makes the ECB type color LCD 1 indicate and resets the timer, terminates the indication after elapsing a certain time, prolongs the timer interval until the next turn-on and gradually extends the turn-off time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a wristwatch such as a digital watch, a battery such as a silver battery is used as a power source, so that a display element with low power consumption is required. For this reason, a configuration in which a liquid crystal element which consumes the least power is used as a display unit is now mainstream.

[0003]

However, even when a liquid crystal element is used, the power consumption of the liquid crystal element is relatively large compared to the power consumption of the internal electronic circuit. It is the current situation.

[0004] This tendency is more pronounced in ECB (Elec).
It is a liquid crystal element of a trically controlled birefringence type color LCD. This liquid crystal element has a structure similar to that of a normal black-and-white liquid crystal element used for a wristwatch such as a digital watch, and performs color display by electrical control. A DSTN (dual) known as a color liquid crystal is used. scan twi
Stable nematic) or TFT (thin fi
It has a fundamentally different structure from an lm transistor or the like. That is, it has a configuration in which the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer is changed to change the tilt of the liquid crystal molecules, and the resulting change in the birefringence of the liquid crystal layer is detected by a pair of polarizing plates (with a retardation film), and color display is performed. This liquid crystal element
Since the power consumption is higher than that of a black-and-white liquid crystal element, the battery life is shortened, and it has been considered that a wristwatch having a limited battery capacity cannot be used. It is said that the above-mentioned DSTN, TFT, and the like, which consume much more power, cannot be practically used for a display portion of a wristwatch.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The present invention has been devised in consideration of the use condition of the wristwatch, and has been devised in the lighting method to reduce the average operating current and extend the battery life. It is intended to provide a liquid crystal display type wristwatch capable of performing such operations.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising a vibration detecting means and an element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element. When the vibration is detected by the vibration detecting means, the element control means causes the liquid crystal element to perform a display, and stops the display after the vibration is stopped or after a certain time has elapsed. .

The vibration detecting means includes a vibration sensor and the like, and the element control means includes a control circuit for controlling display of a liquid crystal element by a microcomputer or the like. Normally, when trying to watch a wristwatch, the period and amplitude of the vibration associated with the movement are different from the usual case of swinging the arm back and forth while walking to raise the arm and bring it in front of you. It will be above or below a certain threshold. In the above configuration, by detecting the vibration by the vibration detecting means, in the case of a specific operation such as watching a wristwatch, the period or amplitude of the vibration accompanying the operation is detected, and a certain threshold or more is detected. Or, in the following case, the element control means causes the liquid crystal element to perform display and stops the display after stopping the vibration or after a certain period of time, thereby shortening the lighting time of the liquid crystal element. As a result, the battery life can be extended. When the display is stopped after a certain period of time, a timer may be provided, and when the vibration is detected, the timer may be reset to detect the lapse of time.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display type wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising: a vibration detection means; an element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element; When the vibration is detected by the means, the element control means causes the display by the liquid crystal element and resets the timer, stops the display after a lapse of a predetermined time, and gradually increases the timer interval until the next lighting. Then, the time during which the light is turned off is extended stepwise.

[0009] In human actions, when the user is concerned about the passage of time, he often looks at the clock many times in a short time. On the other hand, if you don't care about time, you even forget the existence of a clock. Therefore, it is preferable to display the display intermittently after the operation of once peeping the watch. However, when a product is shipped from a production factory and stored in a warehouse for a long time, there is a case where it is not necessary to turn on the light for a long time after performing a display operation once in a factory inspection or the like. If such a case is taken into consideration, when the intermittent display is performed, if there is no vibration of a specific cycle or more than or less than an amplitude, it is better to gradually increase the time of turning off the battery, Can be extended.
In the above configuration, when the vibration is detected by the vibration detecting means, the element control means causes the display by the liquid crystal element and resets the timer, stops the display after a certain period of time, and thereafter until the next lighting. The time interval for turning off the light is gradually increased, and the time for turning off the light is gradually extended. It is getting longer gradually.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, when detecting a vibration, the detection of a vibration cycle of a fixed cycle or more or a specific cycle or less is performed, or a specific cycle is detected. It has been clarified that the detection of the vibration having the amplitude or more achieves the intended purpose. This is because, as described above, when looking at a normal wristwatch, the user raises his arm and brings it in front of his / her eyes. This is because the period and amplitude of the accompanying vibration will be above or below a specific threshold.

In the case where the liquid crystal element is used as a display unit of a wristwatch, various display methods are possible even if one time display method is used, and display other than the time display is also possible. Therefore, when a person looks at the watch, he operates the crown and various buttons and other controls to specify the display format of the time to be checked and the type of data when displaying other data. Often do. Claim 5 provides a configuration suitable for such a case, and more specifically, an operation element operation detection means for detecting operation of an operation element and an element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element. When detecting that the operator is operated by the operator operation detecting means, the element control means causes the liquid crystal element to perform a display, and after the operation is stopped or after a certain time elapses, the display is performed. It is characterized by stopping. If such controls are not operated,
Since the display is turned off, the battery life can be extended. When the display is stopped after a certain period of time, a timer may be provided, and when the vibration is detected, the timer may be reset to detect the lapse of time.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the same operation element detecting means and element control means as the fifth aspect of the present invention, and a timer as in the second aspect of the present invention. When detecting that the operating element is operated by the operating element operation detecting means, the element control means causes the display by the liquid crystal element and resets the timer, and after a predetermined time elapses, stops the display. After that, the timer interval until the next lighting is gradually increased, and the time during which the light is turned off is extended stepwise. As a result, in the case of the intermittent display, if the operation of the operation element is not detected, the time during which the light is turned off gradually increases.

When a person looks into a wristwatch, it is common practice to bring his / her arm in front of the eyes and hold the display so that it is nearly horizontal. Claim 7 provides a configuration suitable for such a case, and more specifically,
An attitude control means for controlling the display of the liquid crystal element, wherein the attitude detection means causes the display section to move within a certain angle range from a specific direction (for example, a horizontal direction or a vertical direction). Is detected,
The element control means causes the liquid crystal element to perform display, and stops the display after the attitude of the display unit is out of the range of the angle or after a lapse of a certain time.
As described above, when the attitude of the display unit is out of the range of the angle, the display unit is turned off, so that the battery life can be extended. As the posture detecting means, an XY sensor or the like which is used for leveling can be used. When the display is stopped after a certain period of time, a timer may be provided, and when the vibration is detected, the timer may be reset to detect the lapse of time.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the same attitude detecting means and element control means as in the seventh aspect of the present invention, and a timer as in the second and sixth aspects. When the detection unit detects that the display unit is within a certain angle range from a specific direction, the element control unit causes the liquid crystal element to perform display and resets a timer. The display is stopped, and thereafter, the timer interval until the next lighting is gradually increased, and the time during which the light is turned off is extended stepwise. As a result, in the case of the intermittent display, if the orientation of the display unit within the range of the specific angle is not detected, the time during which the light is turned off gradually increases.

[0015] The structure described in claims 1 to 8 is also effective when the liquid crystal element used in the liquid crystal display wristwatch is an ECB type color LCD. That is, since the liquid crystal element consumes higher power than the black and white liquid crystal element, the battery life is shortened, and it has been considered that a wristwatch with a limited battery capacity cannot be used until now. . However, since the battery life can be drastically extended by using the configurations of the first to eighth aspects, there is no practical problem even if the ECB type color LCD is used as a display unit of a wristwatch ( The battery life can be made the same as that of a conventional black and white liquid crystal display wristwatch).

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a circuit configuration of a wristwatch having the configuration of the present invention according to claims 6 and 8. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an EC constituting a liquid crystal element.
B-type color LCD, 2 is a control microcomputer which constitutes a device control means and a timer, 2a is an oscillator which constitutes a part of the timer of the control microcomputer, 3 is a vibration sensor which is a vibration detection means, 4 is an operation operation detection And 4a, an operation button which is an operation element to be detected by the detection means.

Usually, when trying to look at a wrist watch, since the arm is swung up and brought to the front of the eye, the amplitude of the vibration accompanying the operation is larger than in a normal case where the arm is swung back and forth during walking. , Above a certain threshold. In the above configuration, by detecting the vibration by the vibration sensor 3, in the case of a specific operation such as a case of looking at a wristwatch,
When the vibration sensor 3 detects that the amplitude of the vibration accompanying the operation has become equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the control microcomputer 2 causes the ECB type color LCD 1 to perform display, and the control microcomputer 2 Is reset, and after a predetermined time elapses, the display is stopped, and thereafter, the display is intermittently performed. In this case, the lighting time is, for example, about 1 to 2 seconds, the first light-off time is about 10 seconds, the next light-off time is 15 seconds, and the next light-off time is 20 seconds.
Then, the timer interval until the next lighting is gradually increased, and the time during which the light is turned off is extended stepwise. In addition, the display contents can be basically displayed in a digital manner in which the time is represented by a number, or can be displayed in the form of an analog clock by displaying a clock hand. Further, by operating the operation button 4a, other information (such as telephone number and address information displayed by inputting or selecting a person's name) can also be displayed.

As described above, there are at least two types of information displayed on the display unit even if one time display is taken, and other information can be displayed. Therefore, when watching the wristwatch, the user operates the operation button 4a of the timepiece to specify the display format of the time to be checked and to specify the data type when displaying other data. In this configuration, even when the operation element operation detecting means 4 detects that the operation button 4a is being operated, the control microcomputer 2 causes the ECB type color LCD 1 to perform display and resets a timer for a predetermined time. After the elapse, the display is stopped, and then the timer interval until the next lighting is gradually increased, so that the time during which the light is turned off is extended stepwise.

Two people wore a wristwatch having the configuration of the present invention as described above and a wristwatch of the same type which is always lit while using the same ECB type color LCD as the liquid crystal element of the display unit. The period until the time could not be displayed was measured. All of these watches use the same silver battery (a silver battery that can be used for about 5 years on a normal black and white LCD wristwatch). The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0020]

[Table 1]

As is apparent from this table, in the case of this configuration, it is possible to extend the battery life to such an extent that there is no problem in normal use.

In addition, in this configuration, an alarm function is provided, and the alarm time is displayed in blue different from the normal time display. When the alarm time is reached, an alarm is sounded and flashes in red. Display the time. An arbitrary game can be displayed on the screen by operating the operation button 4a.

Although not employed in the above configuration, an XY sensor 5 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided, and when the sensor 5 detects that the display section is within a certain angle range from the horizontal direction. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the control microcomputer 2 causes the ECB-type color LCD 1 to perform display, and stops the display after a predetermined time has elapsed. If you have such a configuration, when you look into the wristwatch, bring your arm in front of you, hold the display unit near horizontal and peek, the display of time etc. will be automatically Will be done.

In the XY sensor 5, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, a conductive conical concave portion 5a is provided symmetrically in the vertical direction.
The configuration is such that the conductive rolling element 5b is inserted therein. When the rolling element 5b is in the horizontal and constant angle range, as shown in FIG. 2, since the rolling element 5b is in the concave portion 5a, it is detected that the rolling element 5b is in the horizontal and constant angle range.
When tilted from the horizontal by a certain angle or more, as shown in FIG.
The upper and lower recesses 5a move to the protruding end 5c side, and
a is short-circuited, and a state that is not within the range of the horizontal and fixed angle is detected.

[0025]

According to the configuration of the present invention described in detail above, when looking at the time while looking at the wristwatch, the vibration accompanying the swing of the arm is detected, and the posture of the display unit is within a specific range. Is detected, or the operation of the operating element performed to make a specific display is detected, and thereafter, the display unit displays the time or the like for a certain period of time or until these are not detected, or intermittently. Since the display is performed, the lighting time of the display unit can be shortened except when necessary, and as a result, the battery life can be extended.

Also, there is a case where it is not necessary to turn on the light for a long time after the display operation is once performed. Therefore, when the intermittent display is performed, the detection of the specific vibration and the posture of the display unit are performed as described above. If there is no detection or detection of operation of the operator,
Increasing the time of turning off the light gradually increases the battery life.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a circuit configuration of a wristwatch having the configuration of the present invention according to claims 6 and 8;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an XY sensor.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of an XY sensor when the sensor is tilted by a certain angle or more.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ECB type color LCD 2 Control microcomputer 2a Oscillator 3 Vibration sensor 4 Operator operation detection means 4a Operation button 5 XY sensor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shinobu Sano 2-23-1, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo F-term F-term (reference) 2F002 AA07 AD07 BA00 BA15 CA01 CB02 EA01 EB03 EB12 EB13 EE04 EH06 GB00 GC06

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising: a vibration detection means; and an element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element, wherein when the vibration detection means detects a vibration, A liquid crystal display wristwatch, wherein the element control means causes the liquid crystal element to perform display and stops the display after stopping the vibration or after a certain time has elapsed. 2. A liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising: a vibration detection means, an element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element, and a timer, wherein the vibration detection means detects a vibration. The device control means resets the timer while performing display by the liquid crystal device, stops the display after a predetermined time has elapsed, gradually increases the timer interval until the next lighting, and turns off the light. Liquid crystal display wristwatch characterized by the stepwise extension. 3. The liquid crystal display wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein the detection of vibration by the vibration detecting means is performed by detecting a vibration period equal to or longer than a specific period or shorter than a specific period. 4. The liquid crystal display wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein a vibration having a specific amplitude or more is detected to detect the vibration by said vibration detecting means. 5. A liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising: operation element operation detecting means for detecting operation of an operation element; and element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element. When detecting that the operating element is being operated by the detecting means, the element control means causes a display by a liquid crystal element, and stops the display after the operation is stopped or after a certain time has elapsed. LCD wristwatch. 6. A liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising: operation element operation detecting means for detecting operation of an operation element; element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element; and a timer. When detecting that the operation element is operated by the child operation detection means, the element control means causes the display by the liquid crystal element and resets the timer, and after a predetermined time elapses, stops the display,
A liquid crystal display type wristwatch characterized by gradually increasing the timer interval until the next lighting and gradually extending the time during which the light is turned off. 7. A liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising a posture detecting means for detecting a posture and an element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element, wherein the display part is specified by the posture detecting means. When detecting that the angle is within a certain angle range from the direction, the element control means causes the liquid crystal element to perform display, and after the attitude of the display unit is out of the above angle range or for a certain time. After a while,
A liquid crystal display wristwatch, the display of which is stopped. 8. A liquid crystal display wristwatch using a liquid crystal element as a display unit, comprising: attitude detection means for detecting an attitude; element control means for controlling display of the liquid crystal element; and a timer, wherein the display means is provided by the attitude detection means. When it is detected that the angle is within a predetermined angle range from a specific direction, the element control means causes the liquid crystal element to perform display and resets a timer, and after a predetermined time elapses, stops the display. A liquid crystal display-type wristwatch characterized by gradually increasing the timer interval until the next lighting, and gradually extending the time during which the light is turned off. 9. The liquid crystal display wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal element is an ECB type color LCD.